Power Ranking Big Ten Football Head Coaches by Recruiting Skills

Being a head coach in the Big Ten is an honor and a privilege. It's a special league that is full of tradition, history and great rivalries.

However, the Big Ten is also a competitive conference, so head coaches must be skilled recruiters. If a coach can't recruit in this league, he and his program are going to get left in the dust by the other 11 schools.

While Ohio State and Michigan remain flagship programs for the Big Ten, other schools have emerged in the conference due to hiring solid recruiting head coaches. Who is the best on the recruiting trail in this league?

12. Darrell Hazell, Purdue

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Darrell Hazell hasn't been at Purdue long, as this was his initial season in West Lafayette. Yet, it appears he has a lot of work to do when it comes to the Boilermakers establishing themselves on the recruiting trail.

While Purdue has 18 commitments, 17 of them are 3-star prospects. Hazell will need to go after and acquire better talent in the coming years to move up in these rankings.

10. Jerry Kill, Minnesota

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Jerry Kill came to Minnesota from Northern Illinois in December of 2010. He's known as a bright offensive mind, but he's struggled to bring in good talent.

Since Kill took over, Minnesota has never finished higher than 11th in the 247Sports Big Ten recruiting rankings. However, Kill appears to be finding his recruiting groove these days, as he has 4-star running back Jeff Jones committed, while also being in the hunt for a few more 4-star recruits.

9. Kirk Ferentz, Iowa

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Kirk Ferentz is one of the most respected coaches in all of football. He's been at Iowa since 1999, and has won two Big Ten titles.

However, the Hawkeyes have never risen to new heights on the recruiting trail. Ferentz doesn't hunt big game often, as it seems he settles on prospects who are in Iowa's tier. His formula has led to a solid amount of winning, but this list is about recruiting.

6. Mark Dantonio, Michigan State

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Mark Dantonio has been the head coach at Michigan State since the 2007 season. The Spartans have never been one of the elite recruiting schools under Dantonio's guidance, but they have signed good talent.

4. Bo Pelini, Nebraska

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It is looking more and more like Bo Pelini will return to Nebraska next season as head coach. Although times have been rough, the Cornhuskers have been a solid recruiting program since he took over in 2008.

Edwin Weathersby is the College Football Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. He has worked in scouting/player personnel departments for three professional football teams, including the New York Giants and Cleveland Browns.